JP7338449B2 - driving support system - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a driving assistance device, a driving assistance system, and a driving assistance program.

As a technology for assisting the driving of a vehicle by a driver, there is known a technology for transmitting the driver's intention information to another vehicle and driving in accordance with the intention while conveying the intention (for example, patent See reference 1).

JP 2015-91058 A

However, the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1 may not be able to support driving that reflects the intention of the driver on the receiving side.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and provides a driving support device, a driving support system, and a driving support program that can appropriately support actions that should be taken by both drivers on the intention originating side and the intention receiving side. intended to provide

A driving support device according to the present disclosure includes a processor having hardware, the processor estimates an intention related to driving a vehicle in which the processor is provided from input voice data, and generates a first intention generated by the estimation. Information is transmitted to the outside, the first intention information estimated by the processor, and the other information estimated by another processor provided in another vehicle that receives the first intention information transmitted to the outside Assistance information for assisting driving of the vehicle in which the processor is provided is generated and output based on the second intention information, which is the intention relating to the driving of the vehicle.

Further, a driving assistance system according to the present disclosure includes a first device having a first processor having hardware, and a second device having a second processor having hardware, The processor estimates, from the input voice data, the intention of driving the first vehicle in which the first device is installed, and transmits the information as request information generated based on the estimated intention to the second device, Based on the request information and the information about the intention estimated by the second device acquired from the second device, the first assistance information for assisting the driving of the first vehicle is generated. Generate and output, the second processor outputs the request information acquired from the first device, estimates the intention for the request information from the voice data input with respect to the request information, Based on the intention estimated by the second device and the request information, second assistance information for assisting the driving of the second vehicle provided with the second device is generated and output. .

Further, the driving assistance program according to the present disclosure estimates the intention related to driving of the vehicle in which the processor is provided from the voice data input to the processor having hardware, and transmits the first intention information generated by the estimation to an external device. and the driving of the other vehicle estimated by another processor provided in another vehicle that receives the first intention information estimated by the processor and the first intention information transmitted to the outside Based on the second intention information, which is the intention related to the processor, to generate and output assistance information for assisting the driving of the vehicle in which the processor is provided.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately support actions that should be taken by both drivers on the intention transmitting side and on the receiving side.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a driving assistance system including a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the vehicle configuration of the driving support system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the flow of building surrounding vehicle information in the driving support system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on a vehicle of the driving support system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the flow of driving assistance processing in the driving assistance system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a caller vehicle during driving assistance processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a receiving vehicle during driving support processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a caller vehicle during driving support processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a caller vehicle during driving support processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a caller vehicle during driving support processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a caller vehicle during driving support processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a vehicle on the receiving side during driving assistance processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a receiving vehicle during driving support processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a vehicle on the receiving side during driving support processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating another example of the display screen displayed on the vehicle on the calling side during the driving assistance process according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating another example of the display screen displayed on the vehicle on the receiving side during the driving assistance process according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating another example of the display screen displayed on the vehicle on the receiving side during the driving assistance process according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the flow of driving assistance processing in the driving assistance system according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a caller vehicle during driving support processing according to Modification 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing a driving assistance system including a driving assistance device according to Modification 2 of the present disclosure.

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in all the drawings of one embodiment below, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts. In addition, the present disclosure is not limited by one embodiment described below.

(Embodiment)
First, a vehicle speech recognition system including a speech recognition device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a driving assistance system including a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The driving assistance system 1 includes a plurality of vehicles that can communicate with each other. Note that FIG. 1 shows vehicles 2A and 2B among the plurality of vehicles. Hereinafter, when a plurality of vehicles are collectively referred to, and when they do not need to be distinguished, they may be referred to as vehicles 2 .

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the vehicle 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 2 includes a drive unit 21, an electronic control unit 22, a communication unit 23, a storage unit 24, an input unit 25, an output unit 26, a voice recognition unit 27, a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit 28 and A driving support unit 29 is provided.

The drive unit 21 is a conventionally known drive unit necessary for running the vehicle 2 . Specifically, the vehicle 2 includes an engine as a drive source, the engine is driven by combustion of fuel to generate power using an electric motor or the like, and the generated power is charged in a rechargeable battery. The vehicle 2 further includes a drive transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the engine, drive wheels for running, and the like.

The electronic control unit 22 comprehensively controls operations of various components mounted on the vehicle 2 . Specifically, the electronic control unit 22 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory) etc. is provided. The electronic control unit 22 loads a program stored in the storage unit 24 into a work area, executes the program, and controls each component through execution of the program.

The communication unit 23 performs inter-vehicle communication between the vehicle 2A and the vehicle 2B, for example.

The storage unit 24 includes a vehicle information database 24a, a travel information database 24b, a support information database 24c, and a surrounding vehicle information database 24d. In the vehicle information database 24a, for example, various types of information regarding the state of the vehicle 2, such as the battery charge amount, the remaining amount of fuel, and the current position, are stored in an updatable manner. The travel information database 24b stores various travel information related to travel of the vehicle 2, including travel history information of the vehicle 2, and various travel information transmitted from an external server, such as road congestion conditions and regulation information, in an updatable manner. It is In the support information database 24c, information about the intention of the driver and information about actions to be taken according to the intention information are associated with each other and stored in an extractable manner. The surrounding vehicle information database 24d stores updatably information about the availability of communication with other vehicles located in the vicinity of the own vehicle.

The storage unit 24 is physically selected from volatile memory such as RAM, nonvolatile memory such as ROM, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), hard disk drive (HDD), removable media, and the like. Consists of media. The storage unit 24 is composed of a storage medium selected from a hard disk drive (HDD) and removable media. Note that the removable medium is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, or a disk recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc). be. Alternatively, the storage unit 24 may be configured using a computer-readable recording medium such as a memory card that can be attached from the outside. The storage unit 24 can store an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, various databases, and the like for executing the operation of the driving support process. Various programs include a model update processing program according to the present embodiment. These various programs can be recorded on computer-readable recording media such as hard disks, flash memories, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, flexible disks, etc., and can be widely distributed.

The input unit 25 has a plurality of input operation units such as a touch panel, microphone, button, or toggle. The input unit 25 is configured such that predetermined information can be input to the electronic control unit 22 by a user or the like operating an operation button or toggle as an input operation unit or uttering a voice toward a microphone.

The output unit 26 is configured using light-emitting members such as a display, a speaker, and an LED (Light Emitting Diode). Under the control of the electronic control unit 22, the output unit 26 displays characters or graphics on the screen of the display, outputs sound from the microphone, or emits light to notify the outside of predetermined information. Configured. Examples of the display include a display of a car navigation system provided with a touch panel, a head-up display fixedly provided on a dashboard, and the like.

The voice recognition unit 27 generates voice data from voice input via the microphone of the input unit 25 and outputs the voice data to the electronic control unit 22 . When voice data is input, the electronic control unit 22 outputs the voice data to the driving support unit 29 . The speech recognition unit 27 is configured using a processor such as a CPU, DSP, or FPGA.
It should be noted that the speech recognition unit 27 may convert into the above-described word string.

The GPS unit 28 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and detects the position of the vehicle 2 . The detected position of the vehicle 2 is searchably stored in the vehicle information database 24a as position information in the vehicle information. As a method for detecting the position of the vehicle 2, a method combining LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) and a three-dimensional digital map may be adopted.

The driving support unit 29 has an intention estimation unit 291 and an action identification unit 292 . The driving support unit 29 is configured using a processor such as a CPU, DSP, or FPGA.

Upon receiving the voice data from the voice recognition unit 27, the intention estimation unit 291 performs input word identification processing. The intention estimation unit 291 converts the received voice data into a word string. The intention estimating unit 291 compares phonemes (for example, "a", "i", etc.) registered in advance in the storage unit 24 with the received voice data, thereby estimating each phoneme included in the voice data. Convert to character. Then, the intention estimating unit 291 performs a process of converting the converted set of characters into a word string by collating it with words registered in advance in the storage unit 24 . In addition, the intention estimation unit 291 applies a pre-registered grammar to the word string, thereby distinguishing words such as particles included in the word string from words to be used as search keywords. The intention estimation unit 291 estimates the driver's intention such as "turn right" or "change lane" based on the word string. The intention estimation unit 291 outputs the estimated intention information to the electronic control unit 22 .

Here, the content of words and grammars stored in the storage unit 24 can be updated using an external database, and the updated content is also reflected in the storage unit 24 . For example, when new identification information is added to the database, the added information is added to storage unit 24 as a new word.

The behavior identifying unit 292 identifies the behavior that the driver of the vehicle 2 should take based on the intention information of each vehicle 2 transmitted and received between the vehicles. The behavior identifying unit 292 refers to intention information and behavior-related information stored in advance in the support information database 24c, and extracts surrounding road conditions from the driving information database 24b and vehicle position information from the surrounding vehicle information database 24d. , to identify behavioral information.

Next, construction of surrounding vehicle information stored in the surrounding vehicle information database 24d will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the flow of building surrounding vehicle information in the driving support system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In step S101, the electronic control unit 22 broadcasts information about the own vehicle. At this time, the electronic control unit 22 transmits the position, speed, and features (type of vehicle, color, shape) of the host vehicle. Through this broadcast, other vehicles with which communication is possible acquire information about the host vehicle.

In step S102, the electronic control unit 22 acquires information on other vehicles from the other vehicles. At this time, the electronic control unit 22 receives the position, speed, and characteristics (type, color, shape) of other vehicles.
Steps S101 and S102 may be executed first with step S102, or may be executed simultaneously.

In step S103, when the electronic control unit 22 acquires information from other vehicles located in the vicinity and capable of communication, the electronic control unit 22 constructs a database regarding vehicles existing in the vicinity and updates the information in the surrounding vehicle information database 24d. At this time, the electronic control unit 22 determines that the vehicle is a vehicle that cannot communicate if the information is not transmitted within a predetermined time or if the response signal to the signal for determining whether communication is possible cannot be obtained. judge there is.

In step S104, the electronic control unit 22 causes the display of the vehicle to display a communicable vehicle and a non-communicable vehicle, based on the updated database of vehicles existing in the vicinity.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on a vehicle of the driving support system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. A support image _W0 shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display of the vehicle. Vehicles existing in a preset range are displayed in the support image _W0 . Among them, the vehicle (vehicle 100A) with which communication is possible is highlighted. On the other hand, the vehicle (vehicle 100B) that cannot communicate is not highlighted. In addition, in the display, it is sufficient that the vehicles that can communicate are visually more conspicuous than the vehicles that cannot communicate. For example, the vehicles that cannot communicate may be displayed in a lighter color.

Next, the flow of driving assistance processing performed in the driving assistance system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the flow of driving assistance processing in the driving assistance system 1. As shown in FIG. In the process shown in FIG. 5, the case where the driver makes a voice input regarding driving is taken as an example. In the case of voice input other than content related to driving, another program is executed. The driver, for example, refers to the support image _W0 shown in FIG. 4, determines whether or not the surrounding vehicles are communicable, and speaks the content of the request. It should be noted that the driver's speech may be used as the trigger for the driving support process, or the depression of a button or the like provided around the driver's seat may be used as the trigger for the driving support process.

In step S201, when there is an utterance input from the driver, the electronic control unit 22 starts driving support processing. Hereinafter, the vehicle that transmits the request is called the requesting vehicle, and the vehicle that receives the request is called the requested vehicle. The voice recognition unit 27 of the requesting vehicle generates voice data from the input voice and outputs the voice data to the electronic control unit 22 . The electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle outputs the voice data to the driving support unit 29 .

In step S202, the intention estimation unit 291 estimates the intention of the driver's speech using the voice data. The intention estimation unit 291 outputs the intention information generated by estimation to the electronic control unit 22 .

In step S203, the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle transmits the intention information acquired from the intention estimating unit 291 to the requested vehicle. In addition, the electronic control unit 22 highlights the requested vehicle displayed on the screen and displays that the requested content has been transmitted (step S204). At this time, the electronic control unit 22 searches for a request target vehicle based on the position information acquired from each vehicle, and selects a vehicle traveling in the corresponding position as a requested vehicle. Here, the vehicle to be requested is, for example, a vehicle that is expected to travel on a route that intersects with the travel route according to the content of the request.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a caller vehicle during driving assistance processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A support image _W1 shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display of the requesting vehicle. The support image W ₁ corresponds to a view from directly above, in which the requested-side vehicle 102 is highlighted and information indicating that the requested content has been transmitted is depicted. FIG. 6 shows a case where the requesting vehicle sends a request to the requested vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane, requesting that the requested vehicle give up because it wants to make a right turn.

In step S205, upon receiving the intention information from the requesting vehicle, the requested vehicle outputs information regarding the requesting vehicle and the content of the request. At this time, an image is displayed on the display, or the request is made by sound.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on a receiving vehicle during driving support processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A support image _W2 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display of the requested vehicle. The support image W ₂ corresponds to a view from directly above, in which the requesting vehicle 101 is highlighted and the features of the requesting vehicle and the content of the request are depicted. The support image _W2 displays that the requesting vehicle has requested a right turn.

In step S206, the electronic control unit 22 of the requested vehicle determines whether or not there is speech input. When the electronic control unit 22 determines that there is speech input from the driver (step S206: Yes), the process proceeds to step S208. On the other hand, when the electronic control unit 22 determines that there is no speech input from the driver (step S206: No), the process proceeds to step S207.

In step S207, the electronic control unit 22 of the requested vehicle determines whether or not a preset time (predetermined time) has elapsed since the request content was output. When the electronic control unit 22 determines that the preset time has passed (step S207: Yes), the process proceeds to step S209. On the other hand, when the electronic control unit 22 determines that the preset time has not passed (step S207: No), the process returns to step S206.

In step S<b>208 , the speech recognition unit 27 of the requested vehicle generates speech data from the input speech and outputs the speech data to the electronic control unit 22 . The intention estimation unit 291 estimates the intention of the driver's speech using the voice data. The intention estimation unit 291 outputs the intention information generated by estimation to the electronic control unit 22 .

In step S209, the electronic control unit 22 of the requested vehicle generates information regarding the content of the reply. At this time, if the intention estimation unit 291 estimates that the request will be accepted, the electronic control unit 22 generates reply information indicating that the request will be accepted. On the other hand, when the intention estimation unit 291 estimates that the request will not be accepted, the electronic control unit 22 generates reply information indicating that the request will not be accepted. Further, when there is no utterance input for the request, the electronic control unit 22 generates reply information indicating that there is no response.

In step S210, the electronic control unit 22 of the requested vehicle transmits the generated reply information to the requesting vehicle.

On the other hand, the vehicle on the requesting side checks whether or not the reply information has been received from the vehicle on the requested side (step S211). When the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle determines that the reply information has been received from the requested vehicle (step S211: Yes), the process proceeds to step S212. On the other hand, when the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle determines that the reply information has not been received from the requested vehicle (step S211: No), the process proceeds to step S215.

In step S212, the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle determines whether or not the request has been accepted based on the reply information. Here, when the electronic control unit 22 determines that the request has been accepted based on the reply information (step S212: Yes), the process proceeds to step S213. On the other hand, if the electronic control unit 22 determines that the request has not been accepted or there has been no reply (step S212: No), the process proceeds to step S216.

In step S213, the action identifying unit 292 of the requesting vehicle acquires the surrounding conditions of the own vehicle and synchronizes with the requested vehicle. After that, the behavior identifying unit 292 identifies the behavior (recommended behavior) that the driver of the requesting vehicle should take based on the content of the request, the content of the reply, the surrounding road conditions, and the distance between the requesting vehicle and the requested vehicle. (step S214). After specifying the recommended action, the electronic control unit 22 proceeds to step S220.

Also, in step S215, the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle determines whether or not a preset time (predetermined time) has elapsed since the content of the request was transmitted. The predetermined time in step S215 is set longer than the predetermined time set in step S207, for example. When the electronic control unit 22 determines that the preset time has passed (step S215: Yes), the process proceeds to step S216. On the other hand, when the electronic control unit 22 determines that the preset time has not elapsed (step S215: No), the process returns to step S211.

In step S216, the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle outputs a message indicating that the request content will be transmitted to another vehicle since there is no reply from the requested vehicle. At this time, the electronic control unit 22 may display the information on the display, or may notify the information by voice.

After that, the electronic control unit 22 searches for the next requested vehicle (step S217). The electronic control unit 22 searches for a vehicle to which the request is to be sent based on the surrounding situation information, and determines whether or not there is a vehicle to which the request is to be sent (step S218). If the electronic control unit 22 determines that there is a vehicle to be requested (step S218: Yes), it returns to step S203, changes the transmission target vehicle, and executes the above-described request processing. On the other hand, when the electronic control unit 22 determines that there is no vehicle to be requested (step S218: No), the process proceeds to step S219.

In step S219, the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle does not have a requesting vehicle, so it generates alerting information for alerting the driver to perform the target action with caution.

In step S220, the electronic control unit 22 generates and outputs information (support information) so that the recommended action specified by the action specifying unit 292 is executed. At this time, the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle displays a support image corresponding to the recommended action, or outputs the content of the recommended action by voice.

Here, the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle repeats the processing of steps S213, S214, and S220 until the requesting vehicle actually performs the action according to the support information in step S220. The driving support process may be executed while synchronizing.

On the other hand, in the requested vehicle, after transmitting the reply information in step S210, the behavior identification unit 292 of the requested vehicle acquires the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle and synchronizes with the requesting vehicle (step S221). After that, the action specifying unit 292 specifies actions (recommended actions) that the driver of the requested vehicle should take based on the state of the response to the request content and the surrounding road conditions (step S222).

In step S223, the electronic control unit 22 of the requested-side vehicle generates and outputs information (support information) so that the recommended action specified by the action specifying unit 292 is executed. At this time, the electronic control unit 22 of the requested-side vehicle displays a support image corresponding to the recommended action, or outputs the content of the recommended action by voice.

The electronic control unit 22 of the request-receiving vehicle repeats the processing of steps S221, S222, and S223 until the request-receiving vehicle actually performs an action according to the support information in step S223. The driving support process may be executed while synchronizing.

Here, output modes of recommended actions in the requesting vehicle and the requested vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 14. FIG. FIGS. 8 to 11 are diagrams showing examples of display screens displayed on the calling vehicle during the driving assistance process according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 12 to 14 are diagrams showing examples of display screens displayed in the vehicle on the receiving side during the driving assistance process according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

(Display example 1-1)
When the requested vehicle accepts the request, and the vehicle (requesting vehicle) and the requested vehicle are sufficiently far apart, a support image shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the requesting vehicle. _W3 is displayed. The support image _W3 displays the fact that the request has been accepted, the fact that the driver is urged to turn right while paying attention to safety, and the route to that turn.

(Display example 1-2)
When the requested vehicle accepts the request and the distance between the requested vehicle (requesting vehicle) and the requested vehicle is close enough to allow a right turn, the requesting vehicle is provided with the following information as shown in FIG. A support image _W4 is displayed. The support image _W4 displays the fact that the request has been accepted, the fact that the vehicle is urged to stop and then turn right, and the path to that turn.

(Display example 1-3)
If the requested vehicle accepts the request, and the vehicle (requesting vehicle) and the requested vehicle are close to each other, and the surrounding conditions change after the request is sent, it becomes difficult to turn right. A support image _W5 shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the requesting vehicle. In the support image _W5 , a message indicating that the requested vehicle will stop once and turn right after confirming that the vehicle on the requested side has stopped, and instruction information to stop first ("stop" in FIG. 10) are displayed.

(Display example 1-4)
If the requested vehicle does not accept the request, or if no response to the request is obtained, the support image _W6 shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the requesting vehicle. The support image _W6 displays the fact that the request has not been accepted, the fact that the user is urged to stop, and the instruction information therefor.

(Display example 2-1)
When the request from the requesting vehicle is accepted and the distance between the vehicle (requested vehicle) and the requesting vehicle is sufficiently far, the support image shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the requested vehicle. _W7 is displayed. The support image _W7 displays a prompt to decelerate and the route of the requesting vehicle.

(Display example 2-2)
When the request from the requesting vehicle is accepted, and the distance between the requested vehicle (requested vehicle) and the requesting vehicle is close within the range of possible right turn, the requested vehicle is equipped with the vehicle shown in FIG. A support image _W8 is displayed. The support image _W8 displays a message indicating that the requesting vehicle will stop and wait for the requesting vehicle to turn right, and the route of the requesting vehicle.

(Display example 2-3)
When the request from the requesting vehicle is not accepted or when the request is not answered, the support image _W9 shown in FIG. 14 is displayed on the requested vehicle. The support image _W9 displays a message that the vehicle is encouraged to travel while paying attention to safety, and a route (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 12) according to the content of the request from the requesting vehicle.

8 to 14, the support image viewed from directly above has been described as an example, but the line-of-sight direction is not limited to this. For example, an image viewed from a bird's eye view or an image according to the line of sight of the driver may be used. 15 to 17 are diagrams showing other examples of display screens displayed in the vehicle on the calling side during the driving assistance process, and are diagrams showing examples of assistance images seen from a bird's eye view.

(Display example 3-1)
If the requested vehicle accepts the request, and if the vehicle (requesting vehicle) and the requested vehicle are sufficiently far apart (corresponding to display example 1-1), the requesting vehicle , a support image _W10 shown in FIG. 15 is displayed. In the support image _W10 , the fact that the request has been accepted, the fact that the driver is urged to turn right while paying attention to safety, and the route are displayed in a bird's-eye view.

(Display example 3-2)
When the request from the requesting vehicle is received, the support image _W11 shown in FIG. 16 is displayed on the requested vehicle. In the support image _W11 , a bird's-eye view is displayed to the effect that the requesting vehicle has requested consent for a right turn.

(Display example 3-3)
If the request from the requesting vehicle is accepted and the distance between the requested vehicle (requested vehicle) and the requesting vehicle is sufficiently far (corresponding to display example 2-1), the requested vehicle , a support image _W12 shown in FIG. 17 is displayed. In the support image _W12 , a prompt to decelerate and the route of the requesting vehicle are displayed in a bird's-eye view.

In the embodiment described above, communication is performed between the request originating side and the request receiving side, and actions to be taken in each vehicle are recommended according to the response to the request. The driver can achieve smooth and safe driving by driving according to the recommended behavior. According to the present embodiment, by outputting a recommended action in response to a request and its reply, it is possible to appropriately assist the actions that should be taken by drivers on both the sending side and the receiving side.

(Modification 1)
Next, Modification 1 of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. Since the configuration of the driving assistance system according to Modification 1 is the same as that of the driving assistance system 1 described above, the description thereof will be omitted. In the embodiment, the processing in one requesting vehicle and one requested vehicle has been described, but in the first modification, the processing is performed in one requesting vehicle and a plurality of requested vehicles. will be explained.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the flow of driving assistance processing according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. In the processing shown in FIG. 18, the case where the driver makes a voice input regarding driving is taken as an example. In the case of voice input other than content related to driving, another program is executed.

The electronic control unit 22 executes the same processing as steps S201 and S202 described above (steps S301 and 302).

In step S303, the electronic control section 22 of the requesting vehicle transmits the intention information acquired from the intention estimating section 291 to a plurality of requested vehicles. At this time, the electronic control unit 22 searches for a request target vehicle based on the position information acquired from each vehicle, and selects a vehicle traveling in the corresponding position as a requested vehicle.

Further, the electronic control unit 22 highlights each of the requested vehicles displayed on the screen, and displays that the requested content has been transmitted (step S304). At this time, vehicles that do not have the communication unit 23 may be highlighted in a different pattern.

Each vehicle on the requested side outputs information about the vehicle on the requesting side and the content of the request, generates reply information according to the content of the reply, and transmits it to the vehicle on the requesting side (see steps S205 to S210).

On the other hand, the vehicle on the requesting side confirms whether or not the reply information has been received from all the vehicles on the requested side (step S305). When the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle determines that reply information has been received from each requested vehicle (step S305: Yes), the process proceeds to step S307. On the other hand, when the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle determines that the reply information has not been received from the requested vehicle (step S305: No), the process proceeds to step S306.

In step S306, the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle determines whether or not a preset time (predetermined time) has elapsed since the content of the request was sent. The predetermined time in step S306 is set to the same extent as the predetermined time set in step S215, for example. When the electronic control unit 22 determines that the preset time has passed (step S306: Yes), the process proceeds to step S307. On the other hand, when the electronic control unit 22 determines that the preset time has not elapsed (step S306: No), the process returns to step S305.

In step S307, the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle outputs the reply status from each requested vehicle. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the calling vehicle during driving support processing according to the modification. For example, in the support image _W20 shown in FIG. 19, the contents of the reply (“OK”, “No”, or “no reply”) are displayed near each requested-side vehicle on the display screen.

In step S308, the behavior identifying unit 292 of the requesting vehicle acquires the surrounding conditions of the own vehicle and synchronizes with the requested vehicle. After that, the behavior identifying unit 292 identifies behavior (recommended behavior) that the driver of the requesting vehicle should take based on the content of the request and the content of the reply (step S309). After specifying the recommended action, the electronic control unit 22 proceeds to step S310.

In step S310, the electronic control unit 22 of the requesting vehicle outputs the information (support information) so that the recommended action specified by the action specifying unit 292 is executed. For example, in the support image _W20 shown in FIG. 19, information to the effect that overtaking is urged is displayed based on the reply from each requested vehicle. FIG. 19 shows a case where, of the three requested-side vehicles, two requested-side vehicles have responded to the effect of acceptance, and one vehicle has not responded.

On the other hand, in each requested-side vehicle, after transmitting the reply information to the requesting-side vehicle, the action specifying unit 292 acquires the surrounding situation of the own vehicle, synchronizes with the requesting-side vehicle, and responds to the request content. Based on this, the action (recommended action) that the driver of the requested vehicle should take is specified. Thereafter, the electronic control unit 22 of the requested vehicle outputs information (for example, support information such as images) so that the recommended action specified by the action specifying unit 292 is executed (see steps S221 to S223).

In the modified example 1 described above, communication is performed between the request originating side and the request receiving side, and an action to be taken in each vehicle is recommended according to the response to the request. The driver can achieve smooth and safe driving by driving according to the recommended behavior. According to Modification 1, by outputting a recommended action in response to a request and its reply, it is possible to appropriately assist the actions that should be taken by the drivers of both the sender and the receiver.

(Modification 2)
Next, Modification 2 of the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A driving assistance system 1A according to Modification 2 includes a driving assistance server 3 that can communicate with each other via a communication network 10, and a plurality of vehicles (vehicles 2A and 2B).

The communication network 10 is composed of an Internet line network, a mobile phone line network, or the like. The communication network 10 is, for example, a public communication network such as the Internet, such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone or a public line, a VPN (Virtual Private Network), and a combination of one or more such as dedicated lines. Communication network 10 is an appropriate combination of wired communication and wireless communication.

The driving support server 3 acquires position information of each vehicle and transmits information for driving support to each vehicle. The driving support server 3 includes processors such as CPU, DSP, and FPGA, and memories such as RAM and/or ROM. The driving support server 3 also stores at least the information of the support information database 24 c and the surrounding vehicle information database 24 d in an updatable manner, and has the function of the driving support unit 29 .

The communication unit 23 of the vehicle 2 according to the modification 2 performs inter-vehicle communication, for example, between the vehicle 2A and the vehicle 2B, or communicates with the driving support server 3 by wireless communication via the communication network 10, and other It communicates with the communication unit 23 of the vehicle 2 .

In Modification 2, in addition to the driving support processing executed by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication described in the above-described embodiment, the driving support server 3 performs the driving support processing for each vehicle. Specifically, the driving support server 3 receives a request from one vehicle and transmits the request to the other vehicle. After that, based on the reply transmitted from the other vehicle, the vehicle outputs assistance information for assisting driving to both vehicles.

In the modified example 2 described above, the driving support server 3 mediates between the request sending side and the request receiving side, and this driving support server 3 recommends actions to be taken in each vehicle in response to the request. . The driver can achieve smooth and safe driving by driving according to the recommended behavior. According to Modification 2, by outputting a recommended action in response to the request and its reply, it is possible to appropriately assist the actions that should be taken by the drivers on both the sending side and the receiving side.

Here, in Modified Example 2, only the driving support server 3 may be provided with the driving support unit 29 so that the driving support server 3 collectively executes the request from each vehicle 2, the response, and the driving support. .

In the embodiment and modification 1, the driving assistance processing at the time of turning right and changing lanes has been described as an example, but the driving assistance processing can be executed in various cases without being limited to this. For example, when entering a road from outside the road, and when assisting traffic at an intersection without a traffic light or at an intersection during a power outage. In addition, an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance can serve as a requesting vehicle and can be applied to secure an emergency passage.

Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. The broader aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Reference Signs List 1, 1A driving support system 2, 2A, 2B, 100A, 100B vehicle 3 driving support server 21 drive unit 22 electronic control unit 23 communication unit 24 storage unit 24a vehicle information database 24b travel information database 24c support information database 24d peripheral vehicle information database 25 Input Unit 26 Output Unit 27 Voice Recognition Unit 28 GPS Unit 29 Driving Support Unit 291 Intention Estimation Unit 292 Action Identification Unit

Claims (4)

a first device comprising a first processor comprising hardware;
a second device comprising a second processor comprising hardware;
with
the first processor,
estimating the intention of driving the first vehicle in which the first device is provided from the input voice data;
Determining whether or not communication is possible with each of the plurality of second devices located around the first device, and displaying information on whether or not communication is possible with the plurality of second devices on a display death,
Sending request information generated based on the estimated intention to a second device that is capable of communication and is a request target among the second devices ,
for assisting the driving of the first vehicle based on the request information and the information about the intention estimated by the second device acquired from the second device that transmitted the request information; generating and outputting first support information, which is first support information indicating actions to be taken by a driver driving the first vehicle;
The second processor included in the second device that has received the request information ,
outputting the request information obtained from the first device;
estimating the intention for the request information from the voice data input for the request information;
Second assistance information for assisting the driving of a second vehicle in which the second device is installed based on the intention estimated by the second device and the request information, the second assistance information comprising: generating and outputting second assistance information indicating actions to be taken by a driver driving the second vehicle;
driving assistance system. the first processor and the second processor output the first and second support information, respectively, in synchronization with each other;
The driving support system according to claim 1 . The request information is information for requesting the second vehicle to enter the route of the second vehicle,
the second processor,
Transmitting reply information based on the estimated intention in response to a request from the first device to enter the route of the second vehicle,
The first and second processors are
When the second device transmits reply information to the effect that the request is accepted to the first device, the first vehicle urges the action necessary for the first vehicle to enter the path of the second vehicle. generating and outputting first and second support information, respectively;
When the second device transmits reply information to the effect that the request is rejected to the first device, the first vehicle is stopped and the second vehicle is caused to continue traveling on the route. and generating and outputting the second supporting information, respectively;
The driving support system according to claim 1 . The first and second processors are
generating and outputting the first and second support information based on the request information, the intention for the request information, and the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle;
A driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

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